Does anyone else miss TLS's + Bigbadwolf's posts?

[Jah Lush]

Brendan Wrote:

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> Give me a while and I will think up something

> suitably pornographic and offensive that in any

> other form of polite company it would either get

> me ostracised or smacked in the face or both. Then

> I?ll act as if I?m being persecuted when people

> take me up on it.

In a word. No.

I thought BBW could be equally funny and offensive in good measure but too often his offensivness and sheer rudeness far outweighed his humour. He needed an editor to sort out the wheat from the chaff because he just couldn't help himself when it came to pushing the envelope of bad taste. He had so many chances from Admin to address this but everytime threw their goodwill back in their faces. He also started up far too many meaningless and pointless threads and would over contribute on others. I agree entirely with what Mockney said earlier at the beginning of this thread but here (above) Brendan has summed up BBW's attitude perfectly.

As for TLS - I found his posts boring and tedious and his barely concealed racism left a bad taste in my mouth.

[annaj]

Unsurprisingly, no, I don't (miss them, that is)

Like Moos I had stopped actually reading TLS's posts months ago, I just scrolled straight through them. So I have no idea really if the ban is justified or not, but I'm glad he's not posting anymore and dragging every discussion round to his agenda and I think the forum is better for it.

BBW baffles me. As several people have already said, he could, when he wanted, be funny, clever, interesting and charming and I just never understood his need to be gratuitously crude, violent or offensive. Some of his posts were really appalling and sickening (it's worth pointing out, by the way, that the worst of his posts were reported and removed so quickly that most users won't have seen them which, in a way, is a shame, because it leaves people thinking he was hard done by) and usually completely unprovoked or at least entirely disproportionate to whatever provocation there had been.

I just don't get it. He seemed, mostly, like a nice guy and I just don't understand why he felt the need. But he did and he was given way more chances than anyone else and just carried on doing it. The forum has rules that we all accept when we join. He broke them, repeatedly, pointlessly and disappointingly, so he had to go.

Now, I get that I'm not really in tune with the forum voice any more and that lots of posters (several of them on this thread) think I'm a dull, worthy prude and I accept that; my gradual slinking away is my choice. I don't want to ban everyone who I disagree with or make everyone on the forum like me, but in these two cases I the bans were the right, and maybe the only, thing to do.

[Narnia]

Why can't the Forum Admin open a 'naughty room' where likeminded people(or not as the case may be) can write what they want and no one need ever enter there or be offended who didn't wish to?

[SeanMacGabhann]

why put the onus on Admin?

Why can't "naughty" people who know they are going to offend, be naught in any one of that many millions of other forums which tolerate that?

[annaj]

Why should he?

There are plenty of places out there where people can be rude if they want to.

This isn't our forum, or East Dulwich's forum, or the world's forum it's Admin's forum. He set it up, runs it and maintains it. He gets to decide what sort of forum it is and what's ok and what's not.

[Moos]

Also, there's no such thing in the real world, is there?

There isn't a naughty newspaper where you can call people niggers, or laugh about rape, or chat merrily about paedophilia, is there? Or at least not one which claims to be a mainstream organisation where people can also talk about their local area, sell things and find out what's going on. It would just give the whole forum a bad name.

[Mick Mac]

Despite all that's been said that's bad about BBW, and many people have said negative things about him, I think he gave me more laughs than anyone else.

It seems he offended too many people.

[Narnia]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

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> why put the onus on Admin?

>

> Why can't "naughty" people who know they are going

> to offend, be naught in any one of that many

> millions of other forums which tolerate that?

This I think is what Mick said about it being too serious. My suggestion Sean was written in jest.

[giggirl]

Declan Wrote:

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>

> This I think is what Mick said about it being too

> serious. My suggestion Sean was written in jest.

The problem Declan is that there's no such thing as a jest / sarcasm / tongue-in cheek font. There's a very pressing need for such a font.

[Ladymuck]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> Despite all that's been said that's bad about BBW,

> and many people have said negative things about

> him, I think he gave me more laughs than anyone

> else.

I feel exactly the same, Mick Mac.

>

> It seems he offended too many people.

Sadly it does, though he didn't offend me...on the contrary...

[giggirl]

He didn't offend me either Ladymuck and he made me laugh out loud on many occasions BUT the offensive posts got reported and taken down quickly. I daresay that if I was given a presse of his offensive posts then I would be offended.

[SeanMacGabhann]

people have said negative things about BBW, but most of those exact same people also said positive things as well I thought. It's a measure of badly BBW handled himself

If someone wants to point out the humour I'm missing in the example moos gave, I'd like to hear it as well

and as Annaj pointed out, most of you won't have read the very worst examples and the main reasons he was banned - so why keep pushing the point? It really isn't anyone's call but Admin's - and he has repeated several times why people got banned so just crack on.

If it wasn't for people like those on the banned list, I would guess that Admin wouldn't have closed the forum for a few weeks?

[annaj]

I was unlucky enough to have seen some of his rapidly removed posts.

As Moos has already said, in one of them he said that someone's dad should be violently gang raped and more.

That's not funny.

It's horrible.

And I find it hard to believe that anyone doesn't think that crosses a line. And that's just one post of many that were deleted. It doesn't matter how nice or how funny he could be. It doesn't excuse that and it doesn't excuse repeatedly abusing the goodwill and good faith of Admin by posting that kind of thing after being allowed back over and over again.

[Jah Lush]

I remember seeing - albeit briefly - a little of the offensive posts that were taken down and they were absolutely appalling. The work of a sick mind. I don't want to read stuff like that on a local forum.

He's gone. Get over it.

[Keef]

I know a lot of people don't mind that sort of talk but a lot of others would read it and think that this is the kind of thing that people in ED think is OK or even funny. The forum should be for everyone, not just for people with thick skins.

Christ on a bike Moos, I hope to God that no one wants this forum to be a representation of what people in ED are like!

Okay, BBW, could, on quite regular occasions, go waaaay over the top, and I am another person who had stopped reading TLS's posts altogether, a long time before he was banned.

I do however look at this forum now, and think that actually, it's not for everyone at all.

In the past, I used to say that there was no clique on here, or certainly not knowingly. These days however, I am probably not so much part of the friendly inner circle, and frankly, the place does stink of cliquiness, again, whether it's knowingly done or not is another matter.

I am not here to excuse BBW, or TLS, I genuinely couldn't give a toss either way. I do however think that there is a wider point to be made. This forum seems to be for everyone, just so long as they are a certain sort of person.

For ages now, I've not really felt very comfortable on here. That might just be because I'm weird or something, but I don't find it an open welcoming place to anyone who doesn't fit the mould.

[Mick Mac]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> I remember seeing - albeit briefly - a little of

> the offensive posts that were taken down and they

> were absolutely appalling. The work of a sick

> mind. I don't want to read stuff like that on a

> local forum.

>

> He's gone. Get over it.

I'm over it Jah. Thanks.

Yes Anna, that does cross the line, but I did not see that one. I don't think anyone would disagree with you.

[annaj]

Yes, that was my whole point MickMac.

You didn't see it, most people didn't see it or any of his worst posts.

So, rather than saying - poor old BBW he wasn't so bad, he was just a bit of a young scamp - we need to have a bit of faith in Admin that he bans people for a reason and that reason may be something we don't all know about.

[Mick Mac]

I'm agreeing with you Anna. As I say, I did not see it, I agree it crosses the line.

We all have faith in Admin. Its his forum and we are happy to run with his rules.

I'm entitled to ask for someone to be allowed back. Its Admins decision and noone elses.

I don't suppose he will be back, it seems many people saw what I did not see. But I will only judge on what I read.

That should not however stop us discussing the issue and yes even disagreeing - if eveyone agreed on everything, there would be few interesting threads.

[annaj]

Yes, sorry, it was.

I knew you were agreeing, but I didn't think I'd made my point very well, so was kind of remaking it, not to argue with you, but just to be clear.

[mockney piers]

I hate to go over this old ground keef, but a mould, a clique?

I dont really feel like I belong here anymore, which is a little sad for both of us having been here pretty much since day 1, but I don't feel I've been excluded by a clique, just that there are more people thani can keep up with, I made the effort to get to know lots of people and I haven the time nor energy to keep at it.

Other people have found each other and struck up a rapport and good luck to them.

But i wouldn't call it cliquiness.

As for a 'mould', if you mean organophobe, queue loathing curtain twitchers then I guess I'm probably with you on that one.

Anyway see you at the pub in a couple of hours, I've always got time and effort for that. Oh and I failed my driving test today :(

[iaineasy]

Bad luck mockers sorry to hear about your test mate which pub you going to I will buy you a pint for consolation I have a bit of painting to finish but should be free about 9.

[Mick Mac]

mockney piers Wrote:

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Oh and I failed my driving test today :(

Hope you get it next time MP.

[thatguy]

...sounds like a description of the daily mail (!)

[Narnia]

Sean, you have told us you assist Admin in their duties. Whilst they had a holiday the WDF remained open albeit briefly. I assume someone started posting offensive material there as that was shut by a 'friend of Admin'.

I have never received a warning for posting anything likely to get me in trouble but recently I had a post deleted in super quick time regarding the venue of the next EDF drinks night.

I never received an explanation for it and given the heading on the webpage encourages people to give their views, good or bad, on local establishments, I saw no reason for mine to be deleted.

As for BBW in particular, I was on the receiving end of many of his comments, if I took seriously would be considered rascist. I wasn't bothered. Other comments of his may have been OTT for some and it is their right to object. I haven't read enough to have a worthwhile opinion.

What I read of TLS's seemed harmless so must have missed the bad stuff. Keef makes valid points. Is this place just going to be for sanitised conversation/exchange of information..............or can you say what you think without being put sitting in the corner seat?

[LegalEagle-ish]

Sod the curtain twitching, dog pooh obsessed, waitrose shoppers, we know we are the ones who truly belong! Sorry about you failing your test Mockney, maybe God is giving you a sign that you should get a bike! :))